JEFFERSON CITY, MO - Governor Jay Nixon says expanding Medicaid eligibility in Missouri is both "the smart thing" and "the right thing to do."

Nixon announced his support for the expansion Thursday, saying it could provide health care coverage to an additional 300,000 Missourians.

Under a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, each state can decide whether to enact the Medicaid expansion called for under President Barack Obama's health care law. The federal government pays the full cost starting in 2014, but states must begin paying a 5 percent share in 2017 that gradually increases to 10 percent by 2020.

The Democratic governor says he will "work tirelessly" to persuade the Republican-led Legislature to approve the Medicaid expansion. Republican leaders have expressed concerns about its future cost to the state.